Cable socket



Aug 6, 1929'. .1; s. FOX I CABLE SOCKET Filed Och. 20, 1928 Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

uuirro STATES JOHN S. FOX, OF MABIETTA, WASHIliNG'lTON.

CABLE SOCKET.

Application filed October 9.0, 1928.

My invention relates to an improvement in means for sccurement to the end of a cable, commonly called sockets or ferrules, and is particularly intended to be secured upon the ends of steel logging cables, as used in lhe woods, Such ferrules or sockets are ordinarily secured. upon the end. of a cable by babliitting, before the cable is put into use, but it is necessary to rene and replace them from time to time, often quite freq uently.

It is an object of my invention to provide means of the character indicated, which may be quickly and easily attached under the conditions met with in the woods, where tools and babbitting equipment are not available. It is a further object, of course, to provide a ferrule of this cluufacter which simple, inexpensive, and thoroughly reliable, as considerable destruction and loss of life would result were such a ferrule to release the cable while in operation.

l vly invention comprises the novel parts, and the novel. combination and arrangement thereof in the finished assembly, as shown in the accompanying drawings, described in the specification, and as will be more particularly defined by the claims which termh nate the same.

In the accompanying drawings I have slmwn my invention in a form. which is now preferred by me, it being understood that the ferrule need not have a strap, however.

Figure 1 an elevation of my device shown in position of use.

Figure 2 is an elevation. with parts broken away, showing my device connected to the end of a line.

.l ignre 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4-. is a perspective View of the plug for-min part of my invention.

Logging" is mainly practiced in rough country, where tools and facilities for doing a truly worlnnanlike job are not readily available. The cables used in such logging operations are generally composed of six strands of smaller cable wound about a central. steel core. Such cables are heavy and unwieldly, and it is not desirable that any connecting means require the untwisting of any greater number of individual wires, for this takes time and skill, requires the anchorlterial lilo. 313.2760.

ing of each individual strand, and tools for the purpose are not available.

It fremuiintly becomes necessary, because of wear on the lines, particularly the main line, but true to a greater or less degree in all lines, to renew the hold on the end of the line, by means of which it anchored to some support, as for exan'iplc a mast or spar tree. This is an extremely diillicnlt lash; lo accomplish under the conditions obtaining, where it lJUCOl'llQS necessary to splice an eye in the curl of the line, and such a job tulies considerable time to do, even with the facilities and tools at hai'id, with the entire equipment tied up while this job is being done. 'llhere is provided by my invention a means of making such connections, which will require but a very short time to com pletc, and little ellort on the part of the workman auditing the connci'ttion.

Accordin g to my invention, a ferrule, probably formed as a steel. casting, and dos ;i; -natcd in general by the numeral 1, is .lOlllltil. with. an aperture 10 at one end, of a size to permit free passage of the cable 2 lhcrethrough, without chafing, this aperture communicating with. a socket, a part of which, at least, is inclined or coned. I have shown the outer portion 11 inclined, and the inner portion 12 may be cylindrical. This r-ioclict is open at its upper end. to iern1it the insertion of a plug,generally ilesigliated.

by the numeral 3, though, a supporting strap or hanger 1.25 may be provided at the upper end of the member 1 for connection to a rlevis 1:, or like :uu-iulier.

In general the plug 3 is made of a shape lo lill. lhe socket jl.'l---jl.2. its upper portion 1. is made conical. to lit the portion 11 of the socliet, and its lower portion 32 is made cylindrical, and siibstantially, though pref erably not quite, lills the cylindrical portion 112 of the soclret, to position the plug properly within the socket, and to locate the strands of the cable 2 relative to the aperture 10, as will be apparent as the deseription progresses.

In. order to serau'e the member 1 in place upon the end of a cable Ell, it is only necessary that the individual strands of the cable, usually six in number, be untwisted for a slight distance back from the end. of the cable, which for con'vcniinicc would be lllll cut off squarely, and the amount of this untwisting may be determined in advance by wrapping the cable 2 at the proper distance from its end, as has been indicated at 20.

The strands 21, then, are straightened out as nearly as may be, and the core 22 is left straight. The plug 3 is provided with passages and 34, the passages 33sm'rounding the axial aperture 3%, and being intended to receive the strands 21 of the cable, while the passage 34 receives the central core 22. The passages 33 are inclined with respect to the axis of the plug, and run out in the cylindrical portion 32 of the plug, adjacent the junction of this cylindrical portion with the coned portion 31. They are shown as bores extending from the end to the periphery of the cylindrical portion 32, but grooves similarly inclined would properly locate the strands relative to the coned portion 31.

The end of the cable having been first passed through the aperture 10 in the member 1 and the strands separated, these strands are passed through the respective 2 5 passages in the plug 3, the strands 21 through the passages 33, and the core 22 extending through the axial passage 3st. As the strands 21 project from the outer ends of the passages 35 they lie substantially against and in the plane of the coned portion 31 of the'plug, and the plug is now inserted in the socket 1l12 of the member 1 and pushed or pounded into place therein in any convenient manner. 'A strain is then placed upon the line, itbeing resisted by holding the ferrule 1, and the strands 21 are flattened by this strain, as seen in Figure 3, tending to pull the plug 3 into the socket, and the plug biting into the strands 21. The flattening of the strands 21, in turn, distorts them so that they will not, while under pressure tending to keep them flattened, be enabled to pull out of the round passages 33. The edges of these passages 33, where the strands 21 emerge at 35, will bite into the flattened strands, thus providing a plurality of secure holds, not dependent purely on the frictional grip of thestrands between the conical surfaces 11 and 31, but in addition to, and superior to such frictional grip. In this manner the greater the strain, the more strongly is the end of the cable held in place. All of these operations are simply done, and require no special tools, at least no tools which would not be available in the woods.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. A cable ferrule comprising a socketed member, the socket having an outer conical portion and an inner cylindrical portion, and said ferrule having an axial aperture conimunicating with the inner portion of said socket, a plug shaped to fit said socket closely, and passages in the cylindrical portion of said plug inclined from said axial aperture to position the separated individual strands of the cable between the conical portions of the plug and socket, and substantially in axial planes.

2. A cable ferrule comprising a sockeled member, the socket having an outer conical portion and an inner cylindrical portion terminating in an axial aperture, a plug shaped to fit closely within said socket. inclined passages extending from within the end of the cylindrical portion of the plug to its periphery substantially at the juncture of the plugs cylindrical and coned portions, and in alignment with the concd surface, to receive and position individual separated strands of the able, without appreciable change of direction, between the concd portions of the plug and socket.

3. A cable ferrule comprising a sockctcd member, the socket having an outer conical portion and an inner cylindrical portion, and said ferrule having an axial aperture communicating with the inner portion of said socket, a plug shaped to lit said socket closely, and passages in the cylindrical portion of said plug inclined from said axial aperture to position the separated individual strands of the cable between the conical port ons of the plug and socket, and substantially in axial planes, and an axial passage in the plug, aligned with the aperture of the socketed member, to receive the cable core.

4. A cable ferrule comprising a member having a conical socket terminating at its inner end in an axial extension, and having an axial aperture admitting to said extension, and a plug having a. conical portion adapted to fit said conical socket. and having a cylindrical extension adapted to he received in said socket extension, said plug having bores of round cross section terminating in its cylindrical portion, and of a size to closely embrace individual cable strands receivec therein, and directed to position the projecting ends of said strands between the conical plug and socket surfaces, whereby they are flattened under pressure and distorted to a shape which will not pass through said bores.

Signed at Seattle, \V: shington, this 11th day of October, 1928.

JOHN S. FOX. 

